St. Louis Airport: A study in self-sufficiency

How is your airport supported? Does it rely on contributions from the municipal general fund or is it completely self-sufficient?

The staff at Spirit of St. Louis Airport (KSUS) in St. Louis, Mo., are proud to note that their facility is one of the few airports in the United States that is completely self-sufficient – and growing.

“By applying our profits back into our operations, Spirit of St. Louis Airport has doubled in size since 1994,” explains Dick Hrabko, director of aviation for the airport. “When the airport was designed in 1964, it was done with a master plan that would accommodate general aviation and corporate aircraft. We are now a large corporate and executive airport that has 445 aircraft based here.”

Hrabko notes that approximately 3,000 people work at the airport, pumping an estimated $400 million into the local economy annually.

The airport sits on 1,350 acres. Of that, 160 acres have yet to be developed. “That acreage is what we are working on right now,” said Hrabko, who noted that approximately 125 of the 160 acres will be developed. “Once that is done that will increase employment at the airport by 1,000 to 1,500 jobs.”

Currently there are 160 businesses on the airport, ranging from corporate flight departments to pilot supply stores and aviation insurance companies, FBOs and lots of avionics and maintenance operations, he noted.

Hrabko notes that several major corporations and Fortune 500 companies, such as Anheuser-Busch and Ralston Purina, base their aircraft at SUS.

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